Vacuum-pump for player-pianos



W. E. SHORE. VACUUM PUMP FOR PLAYER PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 19, 1917.

1 ,356,496, Patented Oct. 1920.

W. E. SHORE. VACUUM PUMP P0P PLAYER PIANos.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I9, 1917. 1,356,496.

PatentedI Oct. 19, 1920'.

3 SHEEIS-SHEET 2.

u INVEITOII- 41 42 46 43 W. E. SHORE.

VACUUM PUMP FOR PLAYER PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED ocT. I9, I9I7.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Si I6 /EJ s 7I5 4 9 I [MI I\\ 1 J lo t A10 a# IIJCJ 5%?! U I4# I j IIVENTOR: )756% UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. SHORE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

VACUUM-PUMP FOR PLAYERPPIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

Application filed October 19, 1917. Serial No. 197,424.

To all whom t may cm1/cem.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SHORE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and resident of the city of New York, State of New York, in the United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum-Pumps for Player-Pianos, described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, that form part of the same.

The principal objects of the invention are to devise a power driven pump which will be extremely efficient and silent in operation and will automatically adjust itself to proload upon the motor.

A further important object is to devise a construction in which the driving motor will be thoroughly ventilated and kept cool and which will eliminate the danger of fire.

The principal features of the invention consist in the novel construction and arrangement whereby the motor and ydriving cranks are contained in a rigid unitary structure which is flexibly supported within the bellows casing and whereby an elastic compensating means is interposed in the operating connections of the motor and bellows.

A further important feature consists in the novel manner of silencing the air discharge by first expanding the air in an expansion chamber and then dissipating it right angular relation to each other and to these are connected the bellowsoperating through a multiplicity of openings in the inclosing casing.

In the ldrawings Figure 1 is a vertical elevation view in part section through the bellows casing and one of the bellows.

Fig. 2 is a vertical elevational section through the silencer and bellows casing showing the motor and bellows driving connections in elevation and in part section through the gear housing.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail showf ing the worm drive and bearing support for the motor shaft.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the motor shaft.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of a modified form of bellows connecting rod.

Upon reference t0 the drawings it will be seen that the electric motor 1 is suspended centrally from the top of the bellows casing 2 by flexible tubular members 3 and that the motor shaft is vertically arranged.

A tubular member 4 provided with a -flange 5 at the upper end is secured to the secured in the top and bottom of the bellows casing 2.

Buffers 12 and 13 of resilient material are arranged at the top of the motor case and Athe bottom of the gear housing 8. duce a uniform vacuum and regulate the vThe lower end of the motor shaft extends into the gear housing and is stepped in the ball bearing 14. The housing 8. is a closed casing and is filled with lubricating oil. The motor shaft 15 is bored through the center and is filled with wicking 16 which carries oil upwardly to the sleeve bearing 6, lateral ducts 17 being bored in the shaft to carry the oil outwardly. The surplus oil is returned to the well in the.. gear housing through the tubular member 4.

The housing 8 is formed with transversely arranged bearings 18 in which the crank shaft 19 is journaled and secured to the shaft 19 within the housing is the worm Wheel 20 which meshes with the vworm 21 secured to the motor shaft.

The cranks 22 and 23 on the outer ends of the crank shaft are preferably arranged in connecting rods 24.

' The pair of bellows 25 are arranged at the side of the ycasing 2 farthest from 'the crank shaft 19 and the operating members 26 are provided with brackets 27, which brackets are formed with upper and lower pairs of lu 28 and 29.

The outer ends 30 .of the connecting rods 24 are pivotally connected'between the upper pairs of lugs 28 and grease cups 31 are arranged at both ends of the rods to supply lubricant to the bearing. This arrangement ofthe crank shaft connections provides a. long free movement in the connecting rods.

A second pair of bellows 32 are arranged at the opposite side of the casing 2 and these are provided with brackets 33 having paired lugs 34 which y correspond with the lower lu 29 of the opposite bellows 25. v

locks 35 are pivotally ,secured in `the tion that the rotation of the motor shaft and worm gearing operates the crank shaft and the motion of the cranks operates the bellows 25 and as the cranks at each end of the crank shaft are arranged in right angular arrangement the bellows 25 will be operated so that there will bea continuous suction in thevacuum duct whichl is connected with the intake of each. The opposing bellows 32 are operated in opposition to the bellows 25 and as the connection between them is er"- fected by the spring connectors 36 there will be an equalizing cushioning effect.

In Fig. 5 l have shown a modified form of connector which may be used in place of the members 36. In this form the blocks 35 are replaced by the rods 35 and 35". rlhe rod 35 is of tubular formV and the rod 35 is telescoped into it and forms an air cushion and the pins a and o are connected to the spring 36.

Either of these forms of connectors have a compensating effect in the operation of the bellows. The tension of the springs is such that in opening the bellows the springs relieve according to the vacuum pull and this elastic connection equalizes the vacuum and prevents overloading the motor.

The casing 2 is formed with a channel 37 in the top wall which extends downv the sides and communicates with the intake openings 38. in the bellows and a suction tube 39 which leads to the vacuum chest of the piano player is connected to the top of the casing and opens into the channel 37.

The air from the bellows is discharged into the interior of the casing 2 and provides a continuous flow of air around the motor which has the effect of' preventing overheating.

-The bellows casing 2 is arranged within an outer casing 40 being supported on a false bottom 4l spaced from the mainV bot `tom 42 and which is perforated with a plurality of holes 43'. The casings 2 and 40 are preferably formed of non-combustible material and the interior of the casing 40 is lined with a suitable sound deadening material 44. Y

The air is discharged from the interior of the casing 2 into a duct 45 which discharges into the expansion chamber 46 between the bottoms 41 and 42 and from this chamber it escapes through the multiplicity of holes in the bottom 42. This arrangement pro vides a very effective silencer which eliminates all sound from the discharge.

The casing 40 may be arranged within the piano and the discharge carried by a suitable tube beyond the piano case or it may be in the form of a separate cabinet if desired.

The construction herein described has been devised to provide the smoothest possible operation. rlhe motor and crank shaft driving mechanism are a rigid unit and this unit is carried on a flexible suspension which with the `arrangement of the rigid vertical guides ll eliminates all vibration. The connections between the crank shaft and bellows are flexible and jar and vibration in this part is obviated and the whole is then inclosed in a sound proof casing and forms a very compact unit.

What l claim as my invention is l. A vacuum pump for player pianos, comprising, a closed casing having a discharge opening, bellows arranged within said casing and at opposite sides and con nected with a vacuum intake and discharging into the casing, a motor resiliently suspended within said casing between said oppositely arranged bellows, a crank shaft transversely journaled in bearings rigidly supported from the motor casing, connecting rods operating on said crank shaft and connected to said bellows, and rigid vertical guides `supporting said motor and crank shai't against the thrust of the connecting rods.

2. A vacuum pump for player pianos comprising a closed casing having a discharge opening, bellows arranged at opposite sides of said casing and connected with a vacuum intake and discharging into the casing. a motor supported between said bellows, connecting rods operatively connecting said motor with the bellows on one side of said casing, and elastic members connecting the directly operated bellows with the opposing bellows and forming the sole means` of operating the latter.

3. A vacuum pump for player pianos comprising a closed casing having a discharge opening, bellows arranged within said casingv and arranged in opposing pairs and connected with a vacuum intake and discharging into the casing, a motor supported between said bellowsl means operatively connecting said motor with the bellows on one side of said casing, and coil spring members connecting the directly operated bellows with the opposing bellows and forming the sole means of operating the latter.

4. A vacuum pump for player pianos comprising a closed casing, bellows arranged within said casing, an electric motor flexibly suspended from the top of said casing and having its shaft vertically arranged, a sleeve member secured to the motor casing and loosely encircling the motor shaft and having a sleeve bearing at the upper end for Said Shaft, a closed gear casing rigidly secured to said sleeve member and having a bearing support for the lower end of the motor shaft, said motor shaft having an oil duct extending upwardly from the bottom and directing the oil to the sleeve bearing, a crank shaft extending transversely of said gear casing, a gear wheel mounted on said crank shaft within said gear casing and operated from the motor shaft, and means connected to the outer ends of said crank shaft for operating the bellows.

5. A vacuum pump for player pianos comprising a closed casing, bellows ar` ranged within said casing and connected with the vacuum intake and discharging into the casing, a motor supported within said casing and operating said bellows, an outer sound proof casing inclosing the aforesaid casing and having a double bottom forming an expansion chamber having a plurality of discharge holes leading therefrom, and a discharge duct leading from the inner casingto said expansion chamber.

6. A vacuum pump for player pianos, comprising, in combination, a casing, a motor suspended fromthe top of said casing, a crank shaft horizontally journaled and supported from the motor casing and having a crank at each end said cranks being arranged in right angular relation the one to the other, a pair of bellows arranged at one side of said casing, connecting rods arranged on said cranks and connected one with each of said bellows, a pair of bellows arranged atthe opposite side of said casing, and means operatively connecting the oppositely arranged pairs of bellows.

7. In a vacuum pump for player pianos the combination with a casing and bellows arranged in said casing, of a motor frame secured to the top of the casing, a tubular member secured to the motor frame having a bearing sleeve at the top end, an armature shaft journaled in said sleeve and extending downwardly through said tubular member, a gear casing secured to the bottom of said sleeve and forming an oil well, a stop bearing in said gear casing supporting said shaft, means for feeding oil from said oil well to the sleeve bearing, a crank shaft geared to said motor shaft, and means connecting said crank shaft with said bellows.

WM. E. SHORE. 

